The Lewin Group Study – You’re Gonna Love This One

July 27, 2009

Personally, I’ve got some very mixed feelings about the Democrats health care reform. On the one side, I know something has to be done. Our current health care system is designed solely to benefit the health care industry. Patients are nothing more than a source of huge incomes for the industry. The Republicans, at least publically, admit health care cost has gotten out of control. On the other hand, is the obvious huge cost of a government sponsored alternate health care plan. Once such a plan is implemented, corporations and small businesses are going to be racing to end their own employee health care plans. The results will place everyone on the government plan paid for by taxpayers. That is, everyone except the executives of those corporations and some small businesses. But the current “study” the Republicans are citing that supports their contention that the Democrats’ health care reform bill is a terrible thing has got to take the cake.

As “factual evidence” to support their opposition to the Democrats health care reform bill, the Republicans are citing a study by the Lewin Group which says the Obama health care reform is bad, bad, bad. Now on the surface, if you read the study, you would agree with the Republicans that it is a terrible thing and should be trashed immediately. But if you dig into where the study came from, you learn a few things. First, the Heritage Foundation paid for the study. Know who they are? Think “Republican”. Second, the Lewin Group is a consulting firm owned by Ingenix. Third, Ingenix is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth; the same UnitedHealth that sells health care insurance to millions of Americans. What a coincidence!

Democratic Representative Pete Stark made several accusations against the study. The Lewin Group responded with these technical points of clarifications in rebuttal to Stark’s accusations. The Washington Post was the first to break this story when they published this article on the issue.

Do you think it’s possible — just possible — a predetermined desired outcome was first established, then “facts” were assembled to support that desired outcome? Lay aside your political ideology for a moment. Would you trust a study by a company that said a bill, which would take billions of dollars out of their pocket, was a bad thing for the American public?